Using innovations from research in visual signed languages to advance avatar and robotics technology products especially aimed at enriching the lives of all children, all visual learners, inclusive of the young deaf visual learner.

Why This Workshop? A History:

The science of learning clearly tells us: more equals more. More language means more vocabulary, more ways to communicate, more ways to be together, to connect, to grow together, more laughter. More readiness for school, more readiness for reading, more resources, more access.

VL2 research has shown that early sign exposure provides higher cognitive advantages, improves language mastery in English and ASL, and makes for better English readers.

At the same time, recent advances in technology, including both advanced university research as well as consumer-level technology have the potential to address the compelling needs of all children, allvisual learners. Imagine signing robotic dolls, avatars in ebooks that tell stories, or infant products engaging in ASL rhyming.

While much of the requisite scientific and engineering knowledge exists in order to create these products and applications, this knowledge is dispersed among several distinct research communities. No one person or institution has a complete picture of the linguistics of signed language communication, the most effective teaching methods for optimal neural development, and the capabilities of robot and virtual human technologies in sign language production, recognition, and interaction.

To address this knowledge gap, the NSF Avatar & Robotics Signing Creatures Workshop has these goals:

To identify new areas of cross-disciplinary knowledge building in order to facilitate optimal learning outcomes in young children.

To identify central scientific questions and challenges for future study in avatar, robotic, and visual sign language sciences that can both advance these sciences and contribute to product design features for the development of learning tools for young children.

To form new interdisciplinary networks, as well as to identify funding avenues for these networks, which will address the main issue of signing creatures/socially assistive robotics to facilitate learning in the development of all young children, young visual learners, and especially the young deaf visual learner.